In every nation there are power conglomerates that determine and
influence the domestic and foreign policy choices their nations. In the United
States, it is important to highlight the concept known as American
exceptionalism that accompanies these power centers, often called the deep
state. According to this principle, the United States alone has been
chosen by God to lead mankind.
After the
World War II, a notion very similar to that of Nazi Aryan racial supremacy was
born - that of the chosen people. In this case, however, the chosen people were
Americans, who emerged victorious at the end of the Second World War II,
ready to face the «existential danger» of the USSR, a society and culture that
was different from that of the US. With such mental imprinting, the trend over
the following decades was predictable. What followed was war after war, the
capitalist economic system sustained by the US war machine widening its sphere
all over the globe, reaching Southeast Asia, but then being forced back by the
failure of the Vietnam War, signaling the first sign of the end of American
omnipotence.
As the Berlin
Wall fell and eliminated the Soviet «threat», American expansion had
almost reached its existential limit. What has been a constant element during
all of these US presidencies, during various wars and economic growth thanks to
a rising capitalism, has been the presence of the deep state, a set of neural
centers that make up real US power. In order to understand the failure of the
deep state to achieve its goals to exercise full-spectrum control over the
globe, it is crucial to trace the connections between past and the present
presidencies from the fall of the Berlin Wall.
When thinking
of the deep state, it is easy to identify the major players - the mainstream
media, think-tanks, central and private banks, foreign-state lobbyists,
politicians, intelligence agencies, large industrial groups, and the
military-industrial complex (MIC). These are the inner circles that hold the
true levers of power in the United States. Often, by analyzing past events over
a long period of time, it becomes easier to identify motivations and goals
behind specific actions, and the manner in which the various members of the
deep state have often accompanied, influenced and sometimes sabotaged various
administrations - such as is currently the case with the current Trump
administration - for the sole purpose of advancing their economic interests.
During the
Clinton and Bush administrations, the deep state was able to maintain a united
and compact front, counting on the economic and military power of what was
still a rising global power. The mainstream media, the intelligence agencies,
the military and the financial and political centers supported both presidents
in their ambitious plans to expand American hegemony. From intervention in
Yugoslavia to the bombing to Afghanistan through to the war in Iraq, the
refrain has been conflict and devastation in exchange for financial impositions
that were focused on maintaining the dollar as the reserve or exchange currency
for such assets as oil. In Yugoslavia, the strategy also aimed at dismantling
the last block linked to the former Soviet Union, the last act of the end of
the Cold War. Even the control of opium trading routes from Afghanistan has
been of great importance, becoming a key element in US expansion and control
plans, other than maintaining a foothold in central Asia for further
destabilization attempts.
The war in
Iraq, engineered by three fundamental elements of the deep state (false
intelligence services, journalists with a specific agenda, and the military
straining at the leash to bomb a hostile nation), has produced a number of
consequences, primarily the disintegration of the country, leaving the door
open to Iranian influence. Over the course of 15 years, Tehran's influence has
grown to such an extent that it engages Iraq in a Shiite arch that starts from
Iran, passes through Iraq, and ends in Syria, reaching the Mediterranean. In
terms of the effect intended and the result actually obtained, the Iraq war may
be considered the largest strategic failure of the US deep state since Vietnam.
In addition
to a loss of American influence with the petro-monarchies, Iraq has highlighted
the American inability to conquer and hold a territory when the population is
hostile. Facing local and Shiite militias, the United States paid a heavy human
toll, shocking the American population during the ten-year war with planes
returning home to deliver flag-draped coffins. This is not to mention the
creation of the Afghan and Iraq wars of hundreds of billions of dollars of
debt, all placed on the shoulders of the American taxpayer.
In a sense,
Obama owes much of his victory in 2008 to the financial crisis and the American
defeat in Iraq. Even today, the debate about the role of the deep state in
Obama's election is open. The most plausible explanation is based on Obama's
telegenic appeal over Senator McCain, likely a decisive factor for Americans.
As many Americans did not admit, Obama's election, after eight years of Bush,
was a break with the past, a clear message to the elite, especially after
Obama's victory over Clinton during the Democratic primaries.
Obama's
victory was immediately accompanied by a strategic recalculation by the deep
state, which sensed the new opportunity linked to Obama's nature as well as
ongoing changes. There were to be no more explicit wars of the type that
involve tank divisions. After the disaster in Iraq, even the deep state
understood how American military power was unable to prevail over a hostile
local population. For this reason, the neoconservatives have been progressively
displaced by the liberal, human-rights brigade. Their new approach has turned
the Middle East upside down through the Arab Spring, creating a new balance in
the region and causing the situation to degenerate in Egypt, destabilizing
neighboring countries, ending up human-rights dystopias in places like Libya
and Syria, both victims of direct or indirect military aggression on the
grounds of protecting human rights.
In this
scenario, the most important components of the deep state are the media that,
by disseminating false intelligence information through manipulation and
disinformation for the purposes of justifying military aggression, conditions
the populations of Europe and the US to attack sovereign countries like Libya.
During the Obama administration, the deep state rarely faced a hostile
presidency, demonstrated by the bank bailout during the 2008 crisis. A few
months after the election, it became apparent how empty Obama’s election
promises had been, representing the triumph of marketing over substance. By
printing money at zero interest, Obama allowed the Fed to donate almost $800
billion to the banks, saving them from a collapse and postponing the consequences
of the next financial crisis, which will likely be irreparable. Obama preferred
to follow the dictates of the Fed, a key component of the deep state, instead
of reforming the banking sector.
The
underlying mistakes of the last months of the Obama administration continue to
affect Trump's new presidency. Obama's attempt to placate the deep state by
arming terrorists in the Middle East, putting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, bombing
Libya, and bailing out the banks has only increased the appetite of the deep state,
which has progressed to more explicit demands like an attack on Iran and direct
intervention in Syria. From this moment on, after having granted virtually all
the wishes of the deep state, Obama pulled the handbrake and activated a couple
of countermeasures to rebalance the legacy of his presidency. He opposed a
direct intervention in Syria following the false-flag chemical attacks, signing
and implementing the nuclear agreement with Iran and he restoring relations
with Cuba.
It was at
this very moment that the deep state declared war on Obama, relying on the
indispensable support of intelligence agencies, the mainstream media, and the
most conservative wing of the American establishment. Attacks on Obama's
presumed weaknesses as president, his inability to defend American interests,
and his lack of courage characterized the last two years of his presidency.
It was this
perennial state of siege during Obama's presidency that created the conditions
for Trump's electoral ascent. The deep state has for years insisted on the need
for a strong and determined leader representative of the spirit of American
exceptionalism. Initially, the deep state focused on Hillary Clinton, but Trump
had the intuition to emphasize the military and industrial aspects of the country,
appealing to the yearning of the population for a rebuilding of domestic
industry, and opening new opportunities for the deep state. This served to
drive a split within the intelligence agencies, the mainstream media, and a
good deal of the domestic political class, leaving them in open warfare.
Russia's affairs and Trump’s alleged connections to Putin are false news,
created to sabotage Trump's presidency.
In the 2016
Republican primaries, Americans voted for a leader who promised to improve
their livelihoods by boosting the domestic economy and placing the interests of
their country first. This promise almost immediately captured the working
component of the population and large industrial conglomerates. Trump later
gained the support of another fundamental component of the deep state, the
military wing, thanks to the proclamation that the United States will be
returned to the role they deserve in the world, salvaging the perverse idea of
American exceptionalism.
Trump's
decision to embrace the MIC is particularly controversial and represents the
beginning of a deep-state faction built upon Trump's presidency. The daily din
surrounding his presidency, with constant attacks from the opposing faction of
the deep state, became intense with fake news alleging Trump’s links with
Russia. With the appointment of generals who subscribe to the idea of American
exceptionalism, it can be debated whether Trump intentionally wanted to give a
leadership role to his own generals or whether he had no choice, having to associate
with some of these deep-state members in order to defend himself against the
assaults of opposing deep-state factions.
Recent
Trump-related events are all based on these factors, namely a deep state driven
by the neoliberal faction that has never stopped attacking Trump, and a
neoconservative deep-state faction that has been tightening the noose around
Trump.
The immediate
results have been a level of chaos that has been unprecedented in a US
administration, with continuous appointments and layoffs, the latest one Steve
Bannon, not to mention the impossibility of abolishing Obamacare with all the
forces arrayed against Trump’s legislative agenda. Trump has progressively had
to concede more power and authority to his generals, acceding to bombing Syria
and passing sanctions that worsen relations between Moscow and Washington. A
self-destructive spiral began with the granting of a primary role to those
nominated to key positions.
The final
effect of this ongoing sabotage ever since the Obama presidency is a bankrupt
US foreign policy and a continuing fratricidal struggle within the deep state.
America’s European allies are in revolt over anti-Russia sanctions, which is
their main source of energy. Countries like Russia, China and Iran are
beginning to undergo an economic revolution as they progressively abandon the
dollar; and as these countries take over a Middle East devastated by years of
American wars, Moscow gains significant influence in the region. The crisis
engulfing the Gulf Cooperation Council, increasingly beset with fickle
fractures between Riyadh and Doha.
One of the
consequences of two decades of the US deep state’s brazen foreign policy has
been the birth of a multipolar world order, with US superpower status being
challenged by competing powers like China and Russia. Indeed, Washington’s
historic allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, have borne the
consequences of the disastrous policies of the US, with Iran rising to be one
of the power centers of the region destined to dominate the Middle East
militarily and even economically.
The
incredible paradox of the failure of deep state is represented by the emergence
of two alternative poles to the American one, increasingly allied with each
other to counter the chaotic retreat of a unipolar world order. In this
scenario, Washington and all its power centers are in an unprecedented
situation, where their desire does not match their abilities. A sense of
frustration is increasingly evident, from the incredible statements of many American
political representatives on Russian influence in US elections, to the threats
of aggression against North Korea, or the game of chicken with the nuclear
powers of Russia and China.
If the deep
state continues to hamstring the presidency, and the military wing succeeds in
pressuring Trump, there are likely to be a number of indirectly linked effects.
There will be an exponential increase in synergies between nations not aligned
with American interests. In economic terms, there are alternative systems to
that centered on the dollar; in terms of energy, there are a host of new
agreements with European, Turkish or Russian partners; and in political terms,
there is a more or less explicit alliance between Russia and China, with a
strong contribution from Iran, as will soon become more evident with Tehran's
entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
By the end of
the 1980s, the United States was the only world power destined for a future of
unchallenged global hegemony. The deep state’s greed, as well as the utopian
desire to control every decision in every corner of the world, has ended up
consuming the ability of the US to influence events, serving only to draw
Russia and China closer together with the shared interest of halting America’s
heedless advance. It is thanks to the firmly ensconced American deep state that
Moscow and Beijing are now coordinating together in order to put to an end the
United States’ unipolar moment as soon as possible.
It is not
entirely wrong to say that the American unipolar moment is coming to an end,
with the deep state’s attacks on the Trump presidency preventing any
rapprochement with Moscow. The stronger the pressure of the deep state on the
multipolar powers, the greater the speed with which the advance of the
multipolar world will replace the unipolar one. Early effects will appear in
the economic sphere, particularly in relation to movement towards
de-dollarisation, which may mark the beginning of a long-awaited change.
